Israel will enter Rafah with or without Gaza hostage deal: Netanyahu

Israel will carry out an operation against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of whether or not a ceasefire and hostage release deal is reached, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 47 Palestinians and wounded 61 others, bringing the total death toll since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict to 34,535 and injuries to 77,704, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Tuesday.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesperson for the Palestinian Presidency, said on Tuesday that Israel would not dare to continue its assault in Gaza without U.S. support.

Abu Rudeineh made the remarks in response to Netanyahu's statements earlier in the day that an invasion of Rafah is imminent, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

"The blind U.S. bias towards Israel, and its protection from punishment and submission to international legitimacy, has proven that the U.S. administration has become a partner in Netanyahu's crimes and bears full responsibility for the continuation of genocide," said Abu Rudeineh.

He said the U.S. administration should intervene immediately and compel Israel "to stop its crimes, foremost of which is preventing the invasion of Rafah, which would have very serious repercussions on the region as a whole and the world."

He also called on the international community to intervene to prevent Israel from continuing its aggression.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani pledged on Tuesday to resume efforts to end the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

During a phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the latest developments and joint efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

They also discussed efforts to exchange hostages and detainees and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and relief in sufficient and adequate quantities into Gaza.

The two leaders confirmed their commitment to continuing joint efforts and engaging with the various parties to end the war, protect the region from the ramifications of the expansion of the conflict, and restore security and stability in the region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"I have called consistently for a humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, that has not happened, yet. But negotiations are once again under way," said Guterres.

He raised the alarm at a possible Israeli offensive on Rafah.

"All members of the Security Council, and many other governments, have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation. I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it," he said.

More than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in the Rafah Governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment. They have very little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, little shelter, and nowhere safe to go, he noted.

Guterres also called for an international investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

"I am deeply alarmed by reports that mass graves have been discovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex. In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed," he said.

There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried had been unlawfully killed, he told reporters. "It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied."

Guterres reaffirmed the world body's commitment to a two-state solution – the only sustainable path to peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region.

"The United Nations is totally committed to supporting a pathway to peace, based on an end to the (Israeli) occupation and the establishment of a fully independent, democratic, viable, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state, with Gaza as an integral part," he said.

(With input from agencies)